The rollercoaster Test

Pakistan 238 (Moin 60, Kumble 6-70) and 286 (Afridi 141, Prasad 6-33) beat India 254 (Ganguly 54, Dravid 53, Saqlain 5-94) and 258 (Tendulkar 136, Saqlain 5-93) by 12 runs
Scorecard

Sachin Tendulkar, despote excruciating pain in his back, took India painfully close to victory © AFP

For sheer excitement, edge-of-the-seat tension and high-quality cricket, few matches will come close to the Test between India and Pakistan at Chennai in early 1999. There was top-drawer fast bowling from Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Venkatesh Prasad. There was a pure-as-magic century from Sachin Tendulkar. And there was Saqlain Mushtaq's fine exhibition of spin bowling.

By the end of four days, the cauldron that is the MA Chidambaram Stadium was supercharged with emotion, and the ebb and flow of the game had taken such a toll that fans momentarily forgot their nationality, and climbed on chairs to give the Pakistan team a standing ovation as they did a victory lap after wrapping up the Test by 12 runs, the slimmest of margins.

India began the Test well, getting on top of Pakistan thanks to another relentlessly accurate spell of bowling from Anil Kumble, who took 6 for 70 in Pakistan's first innings 238. Even this score looked unlikely when Pakistan were reduced to 91 for 5, but Moin Khan's gutsy 60 at No. 7 held up the Indians.

India replied gloriously with Sadagoppan Ramesh, making his debut, and VVS Laxman, rattling off 48 runs from 8 overs in the fading light at the end of the first day. But things changed quite quickly on the 2nd day. Saqlain Mushtaq took his excellent one-day performance into the Test arena, scalping the first of four consecutive five-fors. Half-centuries from Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly ensured that India were not totally swamped, and even managed a slender lead of 16 runs.

Shahid Afridi, the ultimate manic dasher, knuckled down for an uncharacteristically dour innings at the top of the order, and gave Pakistan the backbone they so sorely lacked in their first dig. He blocked, pushed, and very occasionally biffed his way to 141 invaluable runs. Unfortunately for Pakistan, the only real support for Afridi came from Inzamam-ul-Haq, who made 51. Venkatesh Prasad was having one of those days. His 10.2 overs may have cost 33 runs, but they also yielded 6 wickets as Pakistan were dismissed for 286.

This left India chasing 271 with one day and an hour left to play. Pakistan's pros then got right in on the act. The breezy start that India got in the first innings was banished to distant memory as Waqar sent Ramesh and Laxman back with just 6 runs on the board. Somehow Dravid and Tendulkar saw off a tense passage of play, and India reached 40 for 2 with a day to play.

It was not unreasonable to expect India to score the 231 runs needed on the final day, with 8 wickets in hand, to win the Test and take a 1-0 lead in the series. What followed was a day of cricket as richly layered as any you would hope to see. Akram dug deep - even taking injections for a troublesome knee in breaks - and produced ball after probing ball at India's batsmen. Tendulkar answered all the questions asked of him, and was defiant even after India were shaken to 82 for 5. Tendulkar ploughed a lone furrow, battling a very painful back, attacked the spinner and kept out the pacemen to the tune of 136 runs, till he fell to a tired shot off Saqlain. India were 254 for 7 at that stage, needing just 17 runs from Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Sunil Joshi and Venkatesh Prasad.

Tendulkar reportedly wept in the dressing-room, flat on his back on the physio's table, as Pakistan picked up the last three wickets for the addition of just 12 runs. Akram, who had lead Pakistan to victory on Indian soil, said, "I have long said that Tendulkar is the best batsman in the world and today we saw one of the best innings I have ever seen played. We never gave up but we knew the key was getting him out." Tendulkar was so drained after his innings that he did not even come out to receive his Man-of-the-match award, and Azharuddin, who came in his place, was loudly jeered by the crowd. But the match will always be remembered as the day an Indian crowd stood on its feet as one and applauded the old enemy for winning a great game of cricket.